Adams won New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor, and political watchers in the Big Apple give Republicans virtually no chance of beating Adams in the fall, which would put him in exclusive company with the late David Dinkins as New York’s only Black mayors.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
Eric Adams grew up poor. As a teenager, he was abused by the police but later decided to join New York’s Finest ranks.
After serving as a police captain, and in the state Senate and as Brooklyn borough president, Adams is poised to become only the second African American to lead the biggest city in America.
Adams won the Democratic primary for mayor, and political watchers in the Big Apple give Republicans virtually no chance of beating Adams in the fall, which would put him in exclusive company with the late David Dinkins as New York’s only Black mayors.
“While there are still some very small amounts of votes to be counted, the results are clear: a historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City,” Adams said in a statement.
“Now, we must focus on winning in November so that we can deliver on the promise of this great city for those who are struggling, who are underserved, and who are committed to a safe, fair, affordable future for all New Yorkers,” he declared.
Born in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1960, Adams counts as the fourth of six children for his mother Dorothy, a house cleaner and cook, and his father Leroy, a butcher.
The family later moved to the working-class neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens, where New York police officers badly assaulted Adams and his brother.
Adams has pointed to that encounter as a 15-year-old as motivation for a law enforcement career.
